Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to containers for the packaging of powder products, in particular for infant nutrition such as powdered or granulated milk formula. The invention further relates to a package comprising the combination of a container and a quantity of product.
Description of the Related Art
Powdered material, such as infant milk formula, has been sold in various forms of package for many years. Metal cans were initially the preferred container as they were relatively easy and cheap to produce and could be sealed for long term storage. The seal comprised an aluminum foil across the mouth of the container that was removed on first use. As a single container would be used for an extended period, the containers were provided with resealable plastic lids which gripped over the outer rim of the can. A measuring scoop was frequently included with the container, either packaged separately or within the can itself. Compared with modern materials, such cans are now considered relatively expensive and heavy.
More recently, alternative packaging forms have become available which improve on the existing cans. These include plastic and foil laminate container bodies and hinged lid assemblies having a facility to receive and retain a measuring scoop. One such package is described in US 2008041861, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. That package has a seal for initially closing the package and a space between the seal and an upper edge of the container for partially receiving the scoop prior to use. The container part may consist of a laminate of paper (board), metal foil and plastic material.
A further similar package is shown in WO2010071424, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. The above described package comprises a generally upright container i.e. having a height greater than a width or breadth. Lid designs have attempted to provide a relatively large access opening to the container interior so that a user may easily remove all of the contents with the scoop provided. The container comprises a cardboard wall covered or coated with one or more sealing layers for sealing contents of the container from environmental influences.
The use of such materials is disadvantageous for the recyclability of the containers as separating the layers of the laminates is difficult and tedious work for the user. It would therefore be desirable to provide an alternative container construction that alleviated at least some of the perceived inconveniences of the prior art.